Ismail Shariff

Spot the snow leopard family feasting on their prey in the Spiti Valley!

Witness the power and grace of the snow leopard, the apex predator of the Himalayan food chain. This stunning image captures a mother and her two cubs feasting on an ungulate, a vital part of their diet.

Snow leopards are elusive creatures, but they play a critical role in maintaining the balance of the ecosystem. Their presence helps to keep populations of their prey in check, such as blue sheep, ibex, and marmots.

The Spiti Valley is a remote and breathtaking region of Himachal Pradesh, India, where snow leopards can still be found roaming free. It's the perfect destination for photographers and nature enthusiasts who want to experience the magic of these magnificent creatures.

Join me, the Snow Leopard Man, on a once-in-a-lifetime snow leopard photography expedition in the Himalayas!

Canon EOS R5 + Canon EF 800mm f/5.6L IS USM

P.S. Still cant get over long fluffy tails 😁🙂😁

This snow leopard is sashaying through the snow, looking like a feline supermodel in a winter wonderland. With the vibrant brown and orange mountains in the background, the scene is simply stunning.
Snow leopards are masters of camouflage, but this one is standing out from the crowd with its thick, spotted fur and piercing blue eyes. It's like nature's own work of art.
Snow leopards are also endangered, so it's a privilege to see one in the wild, for which we offer the best options without compromising on the stay or your food; and most importantly, your toilet. 
Canon EOS R5 + Canon EF 800mm f/5.6L IS USM (No crop in the picture)

Kashmir Markhor... the largest mountain goat in the World. Though they are found in a few Central Asian countries, in India, we have an approximate of 1,800-4,000 of them in Jammu and Kashmir.
Their corkscrew horns being their prominent ID, the horns of males can grow up to 160 cm (63 in) long, and up to 25 cm (10 in) in females. The males have a pungent smell, which surpasses that of the domestic goat.
Even though I photographed the males from about 30-35feet away, my most favourite of all the pictures I have taken of these beings, is this current one. And what a stunner it looks in a 3ftx2ft fine art print. ❤️😍
Now here is a question for you all....
How many Markhors can you see in this picture???
Photographed this while they were moving using eye-focus on Canon R5, which as you can see, worked flawlessly well.
Canon EOS R5 + Canon EF 800mm f/5.6L IS USM
.kg wwfindia
hk

Tibetan Gazelle or Goa from Sikkim.
This was another highlight of my expedition to Sikkim. Was also very lucky to see the interaction of a single Tibetan Gazelle and the Tibetan Sand Fox in those harsh plains.
Now seriously planning to go back to Sikkim as soon as possible.
                      

Here is something new.. instead of spot the identify which animal this is?

Dont swipe without trying out a few guesses. :D
Was just whiling away trying to check on the new features of and came across some of its filters.

Spotted Deers use their antlers not only for defence but also for attracting mates during mating season. The triangular cross section makes their antlers stronger and more resistant to bending and breaking, which is especially important during battles with other male deer. Plus, the shape of their antlers also makes them more efficient at dissipating the energy of collisions, reducing the risk of injury.
These antlers grow from bony structures called pedicles on the deer's skull, and they're made of bone tissue that's covered in a layer of skin called velvet. As the antler grows, the velvet layer on the outside of the antler dries up and falls off, revealing the bone underneath. Male spotted deer shed their antlers every year and grow a new set, making their cross section a constantly evolving and dynamic feature.
Next time you see a male spotted deer with antlers, take a closer look at their cross section to appreciate the incredible complexity and beauty of this natural wonder.

Caught a glimpse of the elusive tigress of Turia as she wandered through the lush yellow grass, almost camouflaging herself in the scenery. It's always a privilege to witness these magnificent creatures in their natural habitat.
Canon EOS R5 + Canon EF 100-400

There's something truly magical about witnessing a snow leopard in the wild. I had the privilege of encountering this incredible female snow leopard during this just concluded Snow Leopards Photography expedition in Spiti region of Himachal Pradesh. Right after mating, she started moving towards the mountain top, and was navigating a treacherous mountain, with snow piled high, but she was undeterred. In one photo, she's staring directly at me, almost as if she's daring me to keep up. In another, she's struggling to keep her footing in the deep snow. It was a humbling reminder of just how resilient these beautiful creatures are in their natural habitat. Dont miss the last picture and that long fluffy tail :) Canon Deutschland CANON India Canon Canon Middle East Canon EMEA Pro

How Snow Leopards hunt, and their success rate -
Even though they are best equipped for mountains and snow, its still not easy to hunt at these altitudes, especially if your prey is equally capable, if not better.
From spotting it, till it went for the kill, it was a 4 hour learning class for me, on how a Snow Leopard hunts. How they roll on the ground to cover themselves with the mud and the smell to hide their own scent; and how they stalk; and how close they can get to the prey without them even noticing.
But even with all that, even after going THAT close to the prey, it did not materialise in a kill. The Snow Leopard also gave up right after its initial attempt, maybe because they were all running downhill, maybe he didnt want a long chase, thats all maybe’s because we will never know, unless someone starts understanding their language 😃 😛
For hi-res - https://youtu.be/tu3AHQscNYI
Canon EOS 1Dx Mark II + Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS USM II
Music by Bluemount_Score (https://pixabay.com/users/bluemount_score-2488186/...) from

Send a message to learn more

Snow Leopards from 2023
Finally its snowing how it should in winters, here in village. Snow is vital to the high altitude ecosystem - the Snow Leopards, Ibex, Blue Sheep and/or any other wildlife depend on it.
But most importantly, the villagers need it too.
Here in these Himalayan villages, snow in winters serves as a precious reservoir of water in summers. And like agrarian communities everywhere, the livelihoods of the alpine farmers, notably the pea cultivators depend on it.
Wishing them all a lot more snow and a prosperous crop ahead!

.kg
hk

I was being asked what was I doing on 23 October on the international Snow Leopard day, so here is a glimpse of what I was filming on that day. We have We were already trying our luck with a black bears and the Kashmiri stag for a couple of days only and earlier than I had expected we got to see this Black bear quite close.
This happens to be a full frame picture on a Canon R5 with an EF 800mm 5.6 lens. What a monumental moment this was for me, especially after seeing the videos on how ruthless they can be with humans; but the drive for getting ready for hibernation and munching on all those acorns gave us a precious few seconds to make some quick pictures and a small video.
Thanks to Rashid bhai for believing in me to get some good footage of the bear and the Kashmiri Stag.
Canon EOS R5 + Canon EF 800mm f/5.6L IS
Manfrotto 645 Fast Twin leg carbon tripod with Manfrotto 612 Nitrotech Fluid Head

Sumatran Tigress (Panthera tigris sumatrae)
The smallest and darkest of tigers found in Sumatra islands of Indonesia. Estimated to be between 400-600 in the wild, they are critically endangered due to habitat loss (Palm Oil plantations) and poaching.
Recently came acrossTiger Protection and Conservation Units in Kerinci Seblat National Park, Sumatra from post and got to know about the support which gives them. Photographed this at while exhibiting my work and selling my prints at event late last month.

Its been a while since I took these at Singalila National Park during my Red Panda expedition with Sourav Mondal Amardeep Thami Firefox expeditions.
Even though I predominantly photograph and film Snow Leopards and other wild cats, I started my wildlife and nature photography with birds and they hold a very special place in my heart. Enjoyed photographing them again after what feels like eons. And looks like that place was all about giving me quite a few lifers.
With Siddharth Mukherjee Nikhil B Vatsal Roshni
1. Northern Goshawk
2. White-browed Fulvetta
3. Olive-backed Pipit
4. Red-throated Thrush
5. Blue-fronted Redstart
6. Blue-fronted Redstart
7. Chestnut-crowned Laughingthrush
8. Hoary-throated Barwing
9. Scaly Laughingthrush
Also, as I have mentioned in one of my stories, Im really digging the . Its an incredible camera with super amazing focusing and incredible sharpness. Cant wait to make a 5ft x 10ft print from the Snow Leopards I will photograph while leading the Snow Leopard Expeditions of Ladakh and Spiti in 2022.
CANON India

Happy International Snow Leopard Day
One of the most iconic species and the Ghost of the Mountains of Central Asia,
a being like no other, who merges into its surroundings to be invisible right in front of us.
Its a very difficult terrain where this being swells, and there are many people who are
working hard fo its survival in this unforgiving regions.
Some of these whom Id like to name are Snow Leopard Trust, Nature Conservation Foundation, Snow Leopard Conservancy, World Wildlife Fund,
Snow Leopard Foundation Kyrgyzstan, Snow Leopard Foundation Kazakhstan, Snow Leopard Foundation Pakistan, Global Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Protections,
UNDP, UNEP, High Asia Habitat Fund. Kudos to each and every one of you, and may your tribe grow and grow stronger.
Wishing everyone a very Happy International Snow Leopard Day, and hope that we all together support all these wonderful organisatoins
and the Snow Leopards in the best way possible.
#

Leopard from Bera.. I was last there in 2014, and its a great place not only for photographing Leopards, but also to understand the co-existence of Leopards, Bears and insome places even Hyenas and humans. While playing around with the new photoshop filters, I opened up this catalog to check on some specific images and came across this picture or a Leopard looking at me. With an overcast sky, it was originally greyish white, but I tried out the new feature from and it took me by surprise frankly. I didnt expect it to work as well as this did. A little bit more tweaking and this is the end-result. The new filters and edit features that Adobe has added open up such a huge gamut for digital artists to create unique perspectives of their thought processes.

Super excited about this.. 😁😁
Come ask a few (easy) questions tomorrow - Link to the same http://meet.google.com/fog-briz-xgi
9th July 11:00am Indian Standard Time (IST) 🙂🙏

Was searching for some specific pictures and videos for an NGO, and came across this frame. Its a screen-grab from a clip in which this male Snow Leopard is walking across a thick layer of snow.
Want to take this opportunity to congratulate Snow Leopard Trust on their 40 years of working towards conservation of this ghost of a species, and their successful campaign, through which they raised over $50K. More power to you all, and especially those who participated from across the globe to show their support by walking, running, performing yoga and what not!

UNDP Day 3 Spot the Snow Leopard | Summer Vacation Programme 2021
Pleased to share the link for a pre-recorded session i took with
United Nations Development Programme - UNDP and National Museum of Natural History India on Snow leopards for "Spot the Snow Leopards".

      .kg
hk